Is there less horse snobbery these days?

There is certainly still snobbery, but there is also a weird sort of reverse snobbery. You just have to read the posts lambasting someone for having a "made" horse and the countless stories of £5 horses that go on to be world beaters. Not saying it doesn't happen of course, just find it curious.
 
Paint Me Proud said:
i think it depends what yard you are on.

Lovely young couple moved onto our yard recently with an adorable 13.2h young coloured cob gelding.
They said they much prefered our yard as at the previous yard her horse was often referred to as 'the cheap pony'.

It is much more acceptable to own a coloured cob now and they are often in demand but there will still be a section of the horsey world that hates anything coloured or hairy!!!
Click to expand...



same :)

i had a (admitidly cheap and crackers) 15.3hh gelding who cost peanuts and looked awful (underweight, green and as i said nuts....)

loved him at the time, didnt listen to anyone who looked down their nose at us (and they did - we were on a posh 5* full livery yard which i hated)

Comments of "sell it" and "dont you want something better?" regularly.



Did end up selling him as he was mental tbh... - now own a warmblood x which was cheap to buy yet i have a queue of people wanting to buy her :D
 
FionaM12 said:
Everyone has their own tastes. No issue with that! The unpleasantness is when people sneer and use derogatory terms to describe a horse.

I've always loved horses. Some people only "love" the pricey, competition standard ones. Is that loving horses or just boosting their own ego?

I'm not for one minute meaning there aren't millions of competition riders etc who genuinely love horses too!
Click to expand...

Oh don't worry about that, got my boy for free! He had horrible hooves, in the first two months did his best attempt to put my head first into a JCB.

People thought I was just mental to try riding him.
 
Wolfie said:
There is certainly still snobbery, but there is also a weird sort of reverse snobbery. You just have to read the posts lambasting someone for having a "made" horse and the countless stories of £5 horses that go on to be world beaters. Not saying it doesn't happen of course, just find it curious.
Click to expand...

Thats not snobbery, thats pride.. or jealousy depending on which way you look at it.
 
Wolfie said:
You just have to read the posts lambasting someone for having a "made" horse and the countless stories of £5 horses that go on to be world beaters. Not saying it doesn't happen of course, just find it curious.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it's because people love the "Ugly Duckling" story! You know, where all the other ducks are mean to him until he grows into a beautiful swan...

My late Dad was good at making up stories for children. A favourite of mine was the one about the downtrodden milk float horse which won the Grand National (we lived near Aintree). And before anyone points out it couldn't happen - I was six, anything seemed possible!
 
Sitch I agree lol. I do prefer my tb's and blood horses but I dont really care about bloodlines, really they prove/mean nothing... For example my mare's grandsire is secreteriat, she has saddlers wells and nothern dancer in there and lots of other amazing racers and guess what she lost every race, I got her for a pittance and with some work I have been offered ££££ for her but wont sell her lol but I do prefer those fizzy mental and dangerous (pffft dangerous my a*) hot blooded toothpick legged weight dropping tb's but before im branded a coppy hater I did buy and break a loverly little cobby chap who I did love dearly and feather! How about curtains he had loooots of feather and pleanty of bone admittedly he wasnt coloured but hey he was still a common coblet of 'other' breed with an 'unknown' sire and dam but trillby was a lovely little chap and my daft ro is a babe :-)
 
ex racer rider said:
Sitch I agree lol. I do prefer my tb's and blood horses but I dont really care about bloodlines, really they prove/mean nothing... For example my mare's grandsire is secreteriat, she has saddlers wells and nothern dancer in there and lots of other amazing racers and guess what she lost every race, I got her for a pittance and with some work I have been offered ££££ for her but wont sell her lol but I do prefer those fizzy mental and dangerous (pffft dangerous my a*) hot blooded toothpick legged weight dropping tb's but before im branded a coppy hater I did buy and break a loverly little cobby chap who I did love dearly and feather! How about curtains he had loooots of feather and pleanty of bone admittedly he wasnt coloured but hey he was still a common coblet of 'other' breed with an 'unknown' sire and dam but trillby was a lovely little chap and my daft ro is a babe :-)
Click to expand...

Glad someone agrees. It isn't snobbery, its personal opinion, I don't like cobs, just don't interest me. Some I like though, would glady buy if I had the money, but in all honesty, give me my free loser racehorse anyday.
 
Sorry about that other big post but heres another thing to ponder.... Cobs are common, dirty hairy and cant do anything (the stereo type) but what about thoroughbreds... They are dangerous, hot headed idiots who always hurt themselves/are unsound and you cant do anything with them if they have raced how about that one?
 
ex racer rider said:
Sorry about that other big post but heres another thing to ponder.... Cobs are common, dirty hairy and cant do anything (the stereo type) but what about thoroughbreds... They are dangerous, hot headed idiots who always hurt themselves/are unsound and you cant do anything with them if they have raced how about that one?
Click to expand...

Both bigotted attitudes, just coming from different directions.
 
abina said:
Certainly things have changed, attitudes, fashion and most importantly the calibre of owner.

We have all heard the expression' A common head' a term used to describe a horse with non descript breeding. In the past only the 'rich and well to do' could afford a horse with 'breeding' any other equine was a common horse to be used by the lower classes for working purposes. Hence where the 'snobbery' came in.

Fashion and fashionable horses come and go - It wasn't that long ago that a 'coloured' was looked down upon as it was a 'gypsy' horse. Of course now a nicely marked coloured with good conformation takes a pretty penny. 'Common gypsy' horses are now marketed as 'Tradionals' or 'Vanners' and not a 'common ' word in sight and again a good coloured cob can cost quite a few ££££.

But most important I believe that horse ownership has opened up and now if you desire to own a horse, regardless of where you live, Country, Farm, town or city it is possible.
So there is a very much more cross section of people owning horses, which in turn brings a lot of different ideas, opinions, and thoughts.

No longer do horses have to work to earn their keep for themselves and the family, but are now 'Pets' who are offered a life of care, provided with all the basic needs and is loved just because ....

How refreshing is that ?
Click to expand...

I agree totally with this but at the same time, I am appalled at how much standards have slipped because anyone can now afford to buy a horse when they haven't the first idea of how to look after it and even worse, they don't want to spend time learning how to either. They are content to learn - or not - along the way which is why we have so many ill treated and neglected horses now as they become surplus to requirements when owners have found out it is costly both in time and money to do things properly or they've lost interest in them. That wouldn't have happened back then; yes, things including horses were so much cheaper then but everyone seemed prepared to put the 'learning work' in and consequently had a fair amount of knowledge before they thought, or could afford, to buy a horse and find somewhere to keep it - which usually had someone experienced in charge who would put you on the straight and narrow and you would lap up their knowledge like a sponge. That doesn't seem to happen now sadly either because they can't be bothered to teach or even know the right way or even worse, the new owner will not take advice or is offended that you think they need it; they know it all after all! :rolleyes:

If that comes across as being a snob, sorry but it saddens me that horses in some cases are now disposable toys because people will not learn enough before taking one on. It makes you want a Horse Owner License or something to come into force before you could own one.
 
Maesfen said:
I am appalled at how much standards have slipped because anyone can now afford to buy a horse when they haven't the first idea of how to look after it and even worse, they don't want to spend time learning how to either. They are content to learn - or not - along the way which is why we have so many ill treated and neglected horses now as they become surplus to requirements when owners have found out it is costly both in time and money to do things properly or they've lost interest in them. That wouldn't have happened back then;
Click to expand...

This isn't quite my experience, actually. I remember lots of people getting horse or ponies in the 1970s who hadn't the knowledge or cash to do them justice. I can think of several cases of accidental but none the less appalling cruelty which resulted.

Some of those owners didn't want to listen to any helpful advice. In some cases, they and their animals could have been helped but that very snobbery this thread's about meant the smart horsey folk didn't wish to lower themselves enough to be associated with such lowly humans and equines.

I know people on this forum have several times said horses are easier to obtain now than in '70s but that really isn't true of the area I lived in.
 
That's interesting Fiona as I was talking mainly of the '50s & early '60s when I was at the riding school and it was very much the norm that everyone would swot up just in the hope of being allowed a pony (which didn't often happen!) Late 60s early 70s I was working in professional hunting or livery yards and even there, all the owners knew what they were doing or was needed and people were still wanting to know how and what was involved before taking that final step to ownership. Then I was out of horses until late 70s and everything seemed to have changed with the more inexperienced coming in at what I would call the deep end. Whether area has anything to do with it I don't know, but my early years were in Surrey (so very suburban,) and Gloucestershire; the last 40 up here so very rural.
 
Maesfen said:
That's interesting Fiona as I was talking mainly of the '50s & early '60s when I was at the riding school and it was very much the norm that everyone would swot up just in the hope of being allowed a pony (which didn't often happen!) Late 60s early 70s I was working in professional hunting or livery yards and even there, all the owners knew what they were doing or was needed and people were still wanting to know how and what was involved before taking that final step to ownership. Then I was out of horses until late 70s and everything seemed to have changed with the more inexperienced coming in at what I would call the deep end. Whether area has anything to do with it I don't know, but my early years were in Surrey (so very suburban,) and Gloucestershire; the last 40 up here so very rural.
Click to expand...

I was talking about early 1970s, the area was Merseyside, the border of Liverpool/Lancashire. It was a very horsey area in those days (not so much now). There was mix of indiginous farmers/country folk, horsey incomers and city folk and quite a clash between people and attitudes. There were some very high-class yards, some rough and ready ones and lots of farmers offering DIY livery for pennies.

A very diverse mix, now I look back on it. :)
 
I've had plenty of comments that my horse is good for nothing and should be shot :( but he is kind, bombproof 99.9 percent of the time ,who I trust enough to plonk my little girl on(with hat of course) and adjusts his stride in order to keep the little pea on his back balanced. Love him to bits.
And when I was riding as a youngster(15yrs), anything coloured, hairy,cobby in appearance was sneered at and not worth a penny. Guess what I loved ?
 
Horsey people are often some of the nastiest and most inconsiderate people I have met. You'd think just being around the horse would bring out the best in people - but it doesn't seem to for some.

There are many lovely folks - but the horse world has more than its fair share of Snarks and Grumpkins.
 
Hmm, I don't think there is less snobbery. Maybe people are less snobby about other peoples' horses, but I've noticed (also on this forum) that (some! not everyone!) people like to mention specifically what breed their horse is, or what bloodlines it has, when it isn't relevant. To me that is a little bit of a boast!

I wonder if people in Europe post on their forums about having an Irish TB or a Welsh sec A, in the same way that (some, not all!) people here post about having KWPN or whatever.. not a dig at Dutch warmbloods! :rolleyes:

I'd be happy to have any horse, as long as it had 4 legs and could carry me happily.
 
It always made me laugh at shows with my horse - people would gush over her until they found out she has no breeding papers and I don't know what she's mixed with (she's 3/4 TB and 1/4 ?). I've actually had people stop mid conversation when they've found this out and walked off. Other people haven't cared tho and still thought she was special even with her dodgy breeding :)
 
Cop-Pop said:
It always made me laugh at shows with my horse - people would gush over her until they found out she has no breeding papers and I don't know what she's mixed with (she's 3/4 TB and 1/4 ?). I've actually had people stop mid conversation when they've found this out and walked off. Other people haven't cared tho and still thought she was special even with her dodgy breeding :)
Click to expand...

How rude and ignorant they are to behave like that! I'm also amazed that people have openly had their horses described in such vile terms to their faces.

People who view the world like that must be very shallow, IMO. And to me they don't qualify as horse lovers if they only see the good in a select few.

I don't have a horse but I think my "mongrelly thing" of a dog is beautiful and would tell anyone where to get off who said otherwise.
 
there was a girl at my previous yard with a 4 year old competing 1m - 1.10m tracks he refused at 2 shows and now hes for sale...

also because my horse doesnt compete even though he has competition bloodlines he is waisted and i shouldnt have him because he isnt doing what he should and wants to be doing... some how i dont think my horse knows his parents were grade A show jumpers and i sure dont think he aspires to be one him self :o
 
StormyMoments said:
also because my horse doesnt compete even though he has competition bloodlines he is waisted and i shouldnt have him because he isnt doing what he should and wants to be doing... some how i dont think my horse knows his parents were grade A show jumpers and i sure dont think he aspires to be one him self :o
Click to expand...

Come on now, I bet he dreams of the glory which should have been his and lies awake thinking of all those rosettes and cups he could've won... ;):D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top